Highway 82 traffic will shift at Basalt for construction

Traffic will be shifted on Highway 82 at Basalt Avenue on Wednesday and Thursday to allow construction of a pedestrian underpass.

All five lanes of traffic will be maintained throughout the project with the addition of new pavement on what used to be the shoulders.

The eastbound lanes of Highway 82 will be shifted to the south of the corridor Wednesday. The westbound lanes will be shifted on Thursday.

“This configuration will be in effect until March 2017,” said a notice from Pitkin County.

Construction of the underpass will also require Roaring Fork Transportation Authority to use temporary bus stops both upvalley- and downvalley-bound.

The shift will coincide with moving Basalt Avenue slightly downvalley of its regular alignment.

The notice from Pitkin County said traffic control operations will not interfere with the flow of morning and afternoon peak traffic on Highway 82. However, traffic speeds will be reduced to 35 mph in the work zone.